What~!? No Country AND Western~!?
More Music Family Trees Here
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR~! We move into the Year of the Wood Snake -- C.C. and I are Chinese Zodiac 'Pigs', but as far as I am concerned, the year ahead does not bode well; all the horoscope reviews suggest I be cautious in everything I do - and I already hurt my knee. Sigh.
The full link here
ANYWAY, as for the crossword, it's been a while since I had an RG puzzle, but another 15 x 16 grid, with a melodious theme of "music" genres spanning four "rows" of the grid. Forty-Two 4LWs, the circles were in yesterday's grid, and for a change very few names; I did not get my "ta-DA~!" right away, so it took a few minutes to find my error in the SE ( I'm looking at you LIBS ). The centered reveal:
41A. Nashville district with historic recording studios, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: MUSIC ROW - there's a newsletter of the same name
The theme word rows alone:
SOUL - - - - - ALTERNATIVE
BLUES - - -TRAP - - - SWING
METAL - - - FUNK - - - SALSA
ROCK AND ROLL - - - FOLK
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
5. Bath and body work locations?: SPAS
9. Carne __: ASADA - Yummers~!
15. Bucks: CASH
16. __ roll: KAISER
17. Animating spirit: SOUL - soul music = The "other" OTIS; see 25D.
18. Backup plan: ALTERNATIVE - alternative music = growing up, there were so many choices in the 1980s that qualified as 'alternative' - the group in the clip below was among them, but this is their only song I PREFER
The Cure - Open
20. Like better: PREFER - hey, I just said I preferred . . . .
22. Personalizable cookie: OREO - I did not know this - here's the website to 'design your own'
23. Orator's platform: DAIS
24. __ facto: IPSO - Latin for "the fact itself"
26. Spot for a backyard barbecue: PATIO
28. St. Louis team: BLUES - blues music = Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZTop, so many others; I am learning the solo in this masterpiece from 1969, a remake of classic Delta Blues with the AMP set to "eleven"
Led Zeppelin - You Shook Me
33. Playground fixture where pushing is encouraged: SWING - swing music = before my time, but I did enjoy this one as a "revival"
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot
38. Epitome of ease: PIE
39. Red-letter: BANNER - as in memorable, a " - " day
40. Tiebreakers, briefly: OTs - sports Over Times
44. Blvd. kin: AVE - abbrs for street-like pavings
45. Titania's husband: OBERON - from Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream
47. Quick snooze: NAP - spent most of Saturday
48. Dart: FLIT - usually with "about"
49. Gold or silver: METAL - metal music = my most beloved genre, but to pick "a" song . . . hmm OK, as far as I am concerned, here are the Godfathers of Heavy Metal, what with the image on their first album, the opening rain and thunder, the church bell, the "devil's interval" of the diminished fifth in the main riff, and the dark lyrics - I give you BLACK SABBATH
Black Sabbath
Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie
52. Chip dip: SALSA - salsa music = Marc Anthony is cited as the best-selling Salsa Artist per Wiki
53. Some viral content: MEMES
55. Devilish: EVIL
57. Sheer delight: GLEE
Delightfully sheer
62. Sunset hue: ORANGE
66. Get the show on the road: ROCK AND ROLL - This one was tough - I chose to narrow it down to a three-minute length, with a catchy riff, lyrics you can sing to, and some hint at a guitar solo - and the winner is, well, self-titled
Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers - I Love Rock N Roll
71. "Sure about that?": "IS IT~?"
72. Coastal Pennsylvania town: ERIE - home to Organ Supply Industries - I did not have a chance to respond to some comments last week - T-Ken, I am working on the drawings for a NEW organ that is to be installed in the Nave triforium at the National Cathedral - an extremely narrow chamber of only 3ft.
74. Pointillism units: DOTS - I did a painting like this, using Q-tips . . . .
75. 2024 WNBA champs: LIBS - meh. The New York LIBerty defeated the Minnesota Lynx
DOWN:
1. Speech therapy subject: LISP
2. Smell: ODOR
3. Modeling supply: GLUE - I tried CLAY first
4. Mirror images?: SELFIES - first time appearing in a crossword per the analysis site
5. Lasting signs of damage: SCARS
6. Buddy: PAL
7. Regarding: AS TO - or IN RE~? I guessed correctly this time
8. Tibetan ethnic group: SHERPA - filled via perps
9. Org. offering tows: AAA - The American Automobile Association - I'm A guy in AA and AAA 😜
10. "This may be hard to hear": "SIT DOWN."
11. Most populous continent: ASIA - AND - 70A. Second-most populous continent: AFRICA
12. Hindu goddess: DEVI - Literally "goddess" in Sanskrit
16. Shoelace tangle: KNOT
19. Cut and collect: REAP - I had SNIP, like coupons - I could add a bonus of (Don't Fear) The Reaper
21. Podcast installments, briefly: EPs - I am guessing episodes - I have never actually listened to one
25. Elevator name: OTIS - Elisha, the inventor of the safety "brake" on elevators
27. "We were all there": "I SAW."
28. Dustpan partner: BROOM
29. Didn't bother: LET BE
30. One-seed loss, e.g.: UPSET - Did this happen~? I hope so
32. Outdoorsy outlet: REI - Crosswordese - Recreational Equipment, Inc
34. Taken together: IN ALL
35. St. Kitts and __: NEVIS - I did not know this name
38. Bit of wordplay: PUN
39. Catchy song: BOP - I pondered "HIT"
41. Star-nosed __: MOLE - I have had this before in crosswords - here's a link, but it's not pretty
42. Channel HQ'd in Atlanta: CNN
43. Accessory for fall collections?: RAKE - har-har
46. Creme brulee dish: RAMEKIN - I was this years old when I learned that this is literally "the" dish
48. Pita filling: FALAFEL - fried chickpeas and seasonings
51. Login need: USER I.D.
52. Round Table title: SIR
54. "A Sister's Eulogy for Steve Jobs" essayist Simpson: MONA - biological sister of - more here
56. Electricity units: VOLTS - Dah~! I went with WATTS
57. Mardi __: GRAS
58. Raised bed, maybe: LOFT
59. Greige hue: ECRU - Grey / Beige portmanteau; the common color of McMansions
61. Only okay: SO-SO
63. Seaweed snack: NORI
64. Insincere: GLIB - we have GLEE, GLUE, GRETA, GRAS, GREIGE and GLIB today
65. Squeaks (by): EKES
67. Do something: ACT - "don't just do something, stand there~!"
68. Course with a long reading list, for short: LIT - as in "English Lit(erature)"
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
1) Happy Year of the Snake!
2) ORCA season is here. Voting is now open until February 17th for the 13th ORCA. You can read more here and cast your ballot.
51 comments:
After I finished the puzzle, I went back and saw all the music “rows.” This puzzle had some crunch to it, but it was definitely doable. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Interesting to fit so many music genres constrained by single rows. Never heard of TRAP music, RAP, yes, TRAP, no -- do you suppose I'm gettin' old? I looked sideways at BOP, LIBS, DEVI, and ARES, as clued. Don't think I've ever seen "members" abbreviated as "mems." Guess which butthead tried BEVIS for NEVIS? Very interesting puzzle, Rebecca. Thanx for the musically-loaded expo, Splynter. (Didn't like any of the music samples -- do you suppose I'm gettin' old?)
FOLK: This isn't really folk, but it was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary, who died a few weeks ago, as a tribute to Josh White.
FIR, but oneidn->OBERON. Waited for medal/METAL. Could have been either with that clue.
REPresentative is a much more precise title for members of the House, but they prefer to be called "congressman" or "congresswoman." And don't ever call a member of the Senate "congressman" or "congresswoman," even though it is accurate.
The LIBS lost the bigger championship in 2024.
Fox News won the ratings championship again in 2024, with an average of 2.38 million viewers. MSNBC and CNN combined for 1.91 million, but we never see Fox or its personalities in the crossword. That and a nickel won't bias much these days.
Around here (Virginia - North Carolina - South Carolina,) shag music is a big deal. My friend and his wife drive up from Florida every year to attend a shag event. They define the music as southern swing, with influences of jazz, blues, and gospel.
Thanks (I think) to Rebecca for the puzzle. Easy, but with a fair amount of dreck, IMO. And thanks to Splynter for another fine review. Although, as Hank Williams Jr sang, "his kind of music and mine ain't exactly the same."
You just can't help yourself, can you, Jinx?
Sure I can. Just join me at a good buffet and I'll prove it!
Please don’t give the constructors/editors any ideas, Fox personality names crossing would be the ultimate Natick for me. 😆
FIR. This definitely had some crunchiness to it. And there were too many proper names as well.
I went back and saw a few of the theme answers, but not all. Honestly at that point I really didn't care. I was just glad the puzzle was done and finished.
Overall this was NOT an enjoyable puzzle.
Took 6:42 today to pop off this classical puzzle.
Never saw the theme while solving.
I've never: heard "Liberty" shortened to "libs"; knew the name of Steve Jobs' sister; and, Devi.
Puzzle was mediocre.
This puzzle showcases the talents of Rebecca G, stringing across ten music genres in four ROWs, (eleven if you include RAP within TRAP), nicely done! Never heard of TRAP, but judging by the description I don’t care to hear any. Needed the benevolent perps for DEVI, NEVIS, MONA, and RAMEKIN for the FIR in 11:29. Greige is a word? Splynter ~ enjoyed your write up, not my favorite Black Sabbath song though. Some Blue Oyster Cult would have been a nice addition for the REAPer.
Good Morning:
The theme was a fresh approach, so there’s that. However, there were several little annoyances such as, Libs, Bop, the unknown Mona, Devi, etc. But the main feather-ruffler was the cluing for Rake. Bracelets and Necklaces are accessories, Rakes are tools or implements. Trying too hard to be clever never ends well, IMO.
Thanks, Rebecca, and thanks, Splynter, for the neat summary and commentary. Hope your knee problems improve. Any updates on the canine project? BTW, thanks for the Chinese Zodiac illustration which informed me that I was born in a Snake year, too!
DO, as you mentioned Will Trent and Betty, I assume you watch the show. I was disappointed with last night’s Betty-less episode!
Have a great day.
IM, I haven't seen it yet. I always wait to watch it the next day (or later), so I can FF through the commercials. Will watch it soon.
This was a solid Wednesday challenge, no surprise given who its constructor was, Rebecca Goldstein. Her appealing theme was neatly laid out (requiring a 16-square width) with the reveal at dead center.
There were a few obscurities and names, but in general they were spread out, making them easy prey for perps. The one exception---for me--was in the NE, where DEVI and ARES were sandwiched together.
I lucked out on a couple potential thorny answers, OBERON and NEVIS: I played Oberon in a community theatre production of "Midsummer Night's Dream;" and my cousin owns a home on Nevis.
Thanks, Rebecca, for a sparkling and fun midweek diversion; and Splynter, for your usual amusing and informative guidance.
Thursday puzzle. Much crunch. Caught the music theme, missed the “rows”.
Greet the day.
Started out fast, and faded out fast. Just couldn't come to grips with this one. DNF. My taste in music was pretty much set in stone by the time I hit thirty, so anything much past the late 70's is just random noise for me. On the other end, I love the big band and swing music of the 40's thanks to my Moms extensive collection of 78's in my youth. Nice recap, Splynter! I kinda wish I had just started there!
Wednesday has been a true hump day lately transitioning from an easy part of the week to more challenging stuff.
Put mall too quickly for SPAS (hold on, it’s a plural clue). ASTO/inre always needs perps. NORI, seaweed snack? maybe if you’re a manatee! 😃
Saw a paint can labeled “griege” a couple weeks ago. Hope this not a new BAE, SimplyeGRIEGEous 😳. I must confess alls I know about FALAFEL is that the accent is on the LA’…
almost put Iona
MONA!! Right Guard commercial late 1960’s?
DW’s first summer job during college was operating an Elevator at a Fancy lady’s dept. store in Albany. Hadda make sure the floors matched evenly when you opened the door
Best performance I’ve seen of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was at the Edith Wharton estate. Lenox MA. Using an actual forest as a three dimensional stage.
Fuzz on a newborn pup …. PREFER
“Of course, Dad”…. SHERPA
“Opie, your aunt can make your bed”: LETBE
Happy hump day, one 🐪 or 🐫
I am thoroughly impressed by the theme and execution of this puzzle. Now I understand the many TLWs needed to achieve this. I missed the ROWS unfortunately so thank you so much Splynter for the reveal.
The only name I didn’t know was MONA. I’ve never heard of á star-nosed MOLE.
I was born in the year of the snake. Happy New Year to CC and all who celebrate.
The episode itself was fine but Betty was featured at all, which was a disappointment.
“Betty wasn’t featured at all.”
Monkey, I think we share the same birth year. 😉
Musings
-A very clever puzzle on multiple levels.
-ASADA, RAMEKIN, FALAFEL, etc. My time with cwds has greatly improved my foreign culinary knowledge
-IDLE – Idle time while subbing at the middle school level is MUCH less than at the high school level :-)
-TRAP – I have only encountered this genre when blogging puzzles
-If a cheese’s ODOR is FUNKY, uh, no thanks.
-Back in the 60’s our drug store noticed it was selling much more GLUE than model kits
-Rest that knee, Splynter, SIT DOWN.
-Netflix wouldn’t let me on after six years of use because my USER I.D. had been corrupted. After two hours, I finally found a phone # where I could talk to a person and despite her accent she got me back online. She was very polite, professional and patient!
-My wife’s hairdresser’s son graduated a year late because he couldn’t pass Brit LIT.
-He is now making big money as a certified auto mechanic.
FIR, with just a few pauses. Happy for the perps on REI and RAMEKIN, but the cluing for STUNT was a bit forced. Oberon took a while to emerge from some corner of my brain. And shouldn’t REI be clued as an abbreviation? Frowned at LIBS, but I guess if the NBA can have the CAVS, MAVS, and CELTS… I suppose it won’t kill me to be forced to think about the WNBA for a few seconds a couple of times a week.
Knew NEVIS because I once worked with a guy who was born there. He was quite proud of it being Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace.
Oops, missed the day. Glad nobody noticed….yak yak.
The puzzle had a clever theme, fairly well carried out, and clever clues for ARES and RAKE, but what I’ll remember, unfortunately, are awful abbreviations.
The “mem” clue for REPS was bad, but EPS was just awful jargon. The first thing I noticed in the puzzle was the WNBA entry. I knew the New York Liberty had won the title, and I was rooting for them because I like Sabrina Ionescu, but I’m not enough of a fan to have heard that team called the “LIBS,” and I think it’s a bad idea considering the possibility of headlines like “Aces own the Libs.”
Speaking of Ionescu, the point guard who made the winning basket in the decisive victory after a thumb injury had caused her to brick shot after shot, what does Caitlin Clark have that Sabrina lacks, other than a less ethnic name?
🪱🪱1941?
Hola! Thanks to Rebecca Goldstein for a fairly easy and doable puzzle. Of course, carne ASADA is a welcome fill for me and I liked seeing SPA, PATIO and SIT DOWN as they all invite leisure. Misty will have a field day with all that and the food. I did not know that SHERPA is an ethnic group; I though it meant guides. In the book "The Huguenot Chronicles" St. Nevis, Santo Domingo and other islands are featured. i read all three books.
AFRICA is a haunting song by, I believe, Toto. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I love ROCK AND ROLL from the 70s which I listened to on the way to and from work. Enjoy your day, everyone! I think I was born in the year of the sheep.
No. I was born in the year of the OX, 1937
👍
Neat Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Rebecca. And your commentary is always a helpful pleasure, thanks for that too, Splynter.
Well, this puzzle had us start off by lighting some LOGS in the fireplace, so you can SIT DOWN in the PATIO with a PAL and begin to enjoy some snacks. We can start off with chips and SALSA, and then some RAMEKIN, along with some ORANGE juice. Then on to dessert of a kind, with a PIE and some OREOS. While enjoying this pleasant lunch, we can listen to some MUSIC, starting with something gentle like SOUL and BLUES, but then maybe trying some ROCK AND ROLL. After that lets take some time to discuss our travel plans, maybe with trips to ASIA and AFRICA. Lucina might have some other suggestions about where to go too. So let's think about it.
Have a cheerful and happy day, everybody.
Thanks, Rebecca! I liked your imaginative use of the ROWs.
FAVs: clue for RAKE, Creme Brulé, and Double take?
Thanks to Splynter for sharing his MUSIC knowledge! This was a perfect puzzle to fall on your day.
FLN. Did our "No personal attacks" note go away with Blogger's new format? Let's play nice, everyone.
We'll see if Caitlin stands the test of time in the pros, but a few things she has that Sabrina doesn't have:
A second AP Player of the Year
A second Honda Sports Award
A second James E, Sullivan Award
A second Naismith Player of the Year Award
It'll be great to see them compete for WNBA Player of the Year. I hope it is just as much fun watching them as it was watching Larry Bird and Magic Johnson battling it out in the 1980s NBA.
Fun puzzle, great exposition. And today's USA Today "Year of the Snake" is appropriately a C.C. creation!
I think it's easier for anon posters to call names. It doesn't make a lot of sense that it would be the case, but I've noticed it. Who knows - it may have been intended to be funny, like SNL's "Jane, you ignorant slut" or Walter Matthau of Jack Lemmon, "what a putz."
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Rebecca and Splynter.
I FIRed eventually , and thought I saw the MUSIC ROW theme. But arrived here to see that I only saw two rows (four types of music). D’uh, read the clue!
Several inkblots to change LET go to BE, and Rind to FUNK.
I knew OBERON, NEVIS, RAMEKIN, and even CNN and REI (we have MEC in Canada).
EPS was a meh! and I thought mems might be memories - no, members - meh #2! REPS could have been clued “opposite of Dems” - even this Canadian knew that. (Too political?)
Tracking ONES through WheresGeorge.com?! What would be the point of that? I should see if we have a Canadian version called WheresLoonie (or Toonie). With so many transactions done now using Credit or debit cards, or by e-transfer, the bills and coins in my wallet don’t move from there very quickly.
My favourite was the clue for RAKE (although I see Irish Miss’s point about clothing accessories, I think of an accessory as someone or something that assists.
Wishing you all a great day.
Puzzling thoughts:
Hand up for being a fellow snake in the Chinese calendar "zodiac". Their calendar follows birth years rather than birth months, but it also follows that the more compatible "signs" are born four years apart. BTW, my "snake name" is Moe-mba
Thanks Splynter for all of the great music clips - especially liked the one by Led Zeppelin
[spoiler alert about Friday's puzzle - do I have to??]
How do you Canadians manage snap elections? We have four years to plan them ahead of time and it’s a super debacle
Jinx and Copy Editor--
I love that you two are having a good-natured (I think) difference of opinion regarding two WNBA stars. This is a sport that has gradually been becoming more popularized, and deservedly so. When I was the principal of a private girls' high school in Sedona AZ, I'd take students on field trips to see the Phoenix Mercury play. This is when Diana Taurasi was in her prime. To me, the WNBA is more watchable than the NBA.
Sorry, C-Eh--REP is the abbreviation for both Republican as well as Representative (another word for a member of the House of Representatives). Many Americans get confused over this, too. Rebecca was clearly going for "Representatives" here.
Lovely puzzle, Rebecca! I was not sufficiently awake this morning, when I solved it, to see the MUSIC ROWs, so many thanks to Splynter for explaining.
The Republican Party is often referred to as the GOP and that can avoid confusion.
Misty, although I have traveled throughout Europe and only a small part of ASIA and north AFRICA, Morocco only, I would love to have explored more of China and parts of India. However, that ship has sailed, without me.
The editor was trying too hard with “cutsie” clues and ruined an otherwise clever puzzle. Lazy editor: Again.
I don't think we even have a disagreement. I have no idea which of these superb players will be more valuable to their respective teams in, say, 5 years from now. I was just pointing out that there are more substantial differences than just a name.
I really hope that the WNBA becomes must-see TV. We'll see. They've ruined MLB, my Cowboys are usually eliminated from the playoffs after the fifth week, and MLS is like watching ham actors pretending to die on the field, only to be good as new after getting a band aid from the trainer. And the NHL season has to end sometime.
I'm a rabbit on the Chinese calendar. IRL, not so much (these days.)
Hi All!
Wow! Rebecca does it again. Love the theme that I nearly didn't notice outside of the longer fills.
Thanks, Splynter, for a lively & musical expo. Like YooperPhil, I wouldn't have minded a little BOC.
WO: riNd -> FUNK
ESPs: DEVI, NEVIS, GRETA, OBERON, LIBS, & MONA (as clued). I'm sure there are others.
Fav: Being an EE, I'll go w/ VOLTS [yes, Splynter, I almost entered WATTS]
Year of the Dog here.
RAMEKINs - I have a few (about 14). Other than Crème Brulé, they're also great for mise en place.
Cheers, -T
I am very confused. I was fishing all day, and only just did the puzzle at 7pm. My puzzle had a theme reveal of "missing the point." Totally different than the write up?!?! So now I have another puzzle To solve before i can read the blog And the comments! Nuts! I thought today was going to be easy...
Ack! Don't read my comment above! It will reveal the theme for tomorrow!!!
So I just figured out what happened. So, now what do I do? Should I go back and do yesterdays (todays) but if I do, what am I going to do tomorrow?
Oh dear, this is very confusing. I guess I won't be posting anything silly for a couple of days...
Hmm, wait, too late...
So, I decided I am going to do todays tomorrow. But this means I can't read todays comments till tomorrow... I don't know if I am going to miss anything,,, hmm.. maybe I should bake a cake....?
Yes,Ray-o- I have said here before that you Americans always seem to be in election mode. But I must admit that this Ontario one is unnecessary and very quick. And there may well be a federal election coming in the spring. The Liberal party will be picking a new leader soon, as Trudeau will be leaving. But we have a much simpler and quicker timeline for choosing leaders and candidates. Enough politics!
Yes, Tehachapi Ken, I would have preferred the party clue for REPS rather than that ugly mems.abbreviation. Patti was probably looking for variety.
OK because nobody knows who I am, I’ll go out on a limb and show my utter ignorance. Would somebody please explain the answer “Pie” to “Epitome of Ease?” I feel so dumb, but I don’t get it. Thanks
The expression “easy as pie”.
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